Design and Applied Arts at Stephen F Austin State University

When Texas Design and Applied Arts programs have reported data, the earnings range dramatically—from $47,500 at University of Houston down to roughly $40,000 at schools like Sam Houston State. Stephen F Austin's program appears to fall somewhere in that middle-to-lower tier, with comparable programs in Texas suggesting first-year earnings around $38,500 and debt near $23,400. That's a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.61, which means borrowing less than two-thirds of first-year income—manageable by typical standards, especially compared to the national median debt of $26,880 for this field.

The challenge is that we're working entirely from estimates here, derived from peer programs across Texas. The actual outcomes for Stephen F Austin graduates could be better or worse. What we can say is that similar programs in the state cluster around $38,500-$40,000 in first-year earnings, while the strongest programs (UT Austin, Houston) push into the mid-to-upper $40,000s. That gap matters over time.

For parents, the key question is whether your child can position themselves closer to that top tier through internships, portfolio development, or connections—factors that matter enormously in applied arts careers. The estimated debt load isn't alarming, but modest first-year earnings mean little cushion for financial mistakes. If your child is choosing between this and a program with actual reported outcomes in the mid-$40,000s, that concrete data point is worth considering.